Courses

LS 1

Course Description

LS 1: Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity (5)

Lecture, three hours; laboratory, two hours; one field trip. Introduction to principles and
mechanisms of evolution by natural selection; population, behavioral, and community ecology; and
biodiversity, including major taxa and their evolutionary, ecological, and physiological
relationships. P/NP or letter grading.

List of Topics

ORIGINS OF LIFE

Why do we think life originally evolved from non-living materials on this planet? How might this have occurred?

What are the oldest fossils? Explain their importance both evolutionarily and ecologically. How did these early organisms change the world?

What is the endosymbiotic theory for the evolution of eukaryotic cells? How does it account for the nucleus, mitochondria, chloroplasts and plasma membranes?

EVOLUTIONARY PROCESSES

Using modern genetic terms, define evolution.

How did Darwin formulate his ideas about evolution via natural selection? How were the following relevant to him: variation, inheritance patterns, and population growth?

By what mechanisms can evolution occur?

What is sexual selection? Give examples of behaviors and physical traits it has produced.

Describe and provide examples of the following evolutionary patterns: divergence, convergence, and adaptive radiation.

From an evolutionary perspective, what is a “successful” organism? How is this related to the concept of “fitness”?

Demonstrate how to predict the phenotypes in a population from data on allele frequencies. Using the Hardy Weinberg equations, determine whether a population is undergoing evolutionary change. What assumptions and variables does this equation rely upon?

What is the significance of genetic drift and the bottleneck effect for populations?

What is the relationship between a phenotype and a genotype?

Be able to discuss the evolution of and differences between instinctive and learned behaviors.

What is inclusive fitness?

How can natural selection produce complex organs such as eyes or wings?

Describe evidence that natural selection can influence behaviors as well as physical traits.

SPECIATION AND EXTINCTION

What is a species? What difficulties can arise in applying this definition in nature?

How is a population distinct from a species? Why is this distinction important?

What is necessary for speciation to occur?

What factors influence extinction?

Why has the evolution of a species or higher taxon so rarely been observed?

Describe some of the causes of population and species extinctions.

Discuss mass extinctions. How do we know they have occurred? What has caused them?

PHYLOGENY AND SYSTEMATICS

Using the concepts of cladistic analysis, explain why the Protista are not a valid taxonomic unit (clade).

How is DNA used to infer evolutionary relationships?

What is the primary goal of modern systematics? How is this related to the system of binomial nomenclature?

What are shared derived characters and what is their relevance to establishing phylogenies?

Giving examples of each, distinguish between monophyletic and polyphyletic groups of organisms.

What are the three domains of life? Where are they found, and why is this important?

THE EVOLUTION OF BIODIVERSITY

How do organisms gather information from their environment? Discuss the range of solutions seen in nature.

How do surface-area-to-volume ratios influence the evolution of body plans and organs in animals and plants?

At least 5 groups of the Protista are common and important members of local ecosystems. Comment briefly upon the biology and or importance of one or more members of each of the following groups: (a) Protozoa (b) Green Algae (c) Red Algae (d) Brown Algae (e) Dinoflagellates

What characteristics separate the plants, algae, animals and fungi?

Discuss the evolutionary origin of the animals, include the importance of multicellularity, organs, body cavities, sensory systems and cephalization.

Discuss the ecological importance of the fungi, mentioning mycorrhizal associations, recycling of organic materials and competition with bacteria.

The least organized of all animal groups are the members of the sponges. What characteristics distinguish the Phylum Porifera from all other animals?

Cnidaria are distinguished from other animals by the possession of nematocysts, and having only two cell layers, endoderm and ectoderm. Discuss the evolutionary or ecological importance of each of these traits.

Explain both the differences and similarities between the polyp and medusa phases in the cnidarians.

Explain how the radula is used by mollusks. Which group of mollusks has no radula? Why?

Using examples from a variety of taxa, describe the relative advantages and disadvantages of sexual and asexual reproduction.

PLANT FUNCTION AND EVOLUTION

Discuss the evolutionary origin of the plants.

What are the characteristics which separate animals from plants and fungi?

What adaptations were most important as plants and animals moved from the water onto land? Address the significance of water use, support structures, reproductive strategies, and temperature regulation. (You need not go into detail on life cycles or double fertilization.)

Discuss the fertilization strategies of gymnosperms and compare them with those of angiosperms and ferns.

Discuss the co-evolution of angiosperm flowers and pollinators.

Explain the evolutionary and ecological significance of fruits.

What is the significance of “alternation of generations” to sexual reproduction in plants?

EVOLUTION OF VERTEBRATES

Explain why birds are more likely to migrate than are small mammals.

What adaptations make reptiles better able to colonize terrestrial niches than their amphibian ancestors?

Discuss the importance of the evolution of jaws in the fishes.

Which two vertebrate groups are phylogenetically closest to the dinosaurs?

Describe three separate evolutionary origins of flight among the vertebrates.

You should be able to construct a cladogram for all of the groups named in the questions above, and be able to explain why each clade (group) is separated from the others.

ECOLOGY

What are energy flow and biomass pyramids? What are the consequences of inefficient energy transfer?

What is the theory of island biogeography? How are island size and distance from the mainland related to colonization and extinction rates?

Describe and illustrate curves for logistic and exponential growth. Include in your discussion the concept of carrying capacity and difficulties in determining it.

What is a life history strategy? Give examples of organisms that exhibit vastly different life histories.

Describe the past and present growth pattern of the human population.

Discuss the importance of competition, predation, and symbiosis in the structuring of natural communities.

Discuss the ecological similarities and differences between the insects and crustaceans.

CONSERVATION BIOLOGY

What is the importance of algal symbionts to coral reefs? How might this relationship be affected by global warming?

Discuss the endosymbiotic relationship that results in the formation of coral reefs. Explain why coral reefs are considered so important ecologically.

How does the theory of island biogeography give insight into maintaining biodiversity in the face of increased human population sizes?

Explain the differences in effectiveness of preserving individual species versus habitats.

LS 7B

Course Description

Genetics, Evolution and Ecology (5 Units)

Lecture, three hours; discussion 110 minutes. Enforced requisite: LS 7A. Principles of Mendelian inheritance and population genetics; Introduction to principles and mechanisms of evolution by natural selection; population, behavioral, and community ecology; and biodiversity, including major taxa and their evolutionary, ecological and physiological relationships. Letter grading.

Links

LS 15

Course Description

LS 15: Life: Concepts and Issues (5)

Lecture, three hours; discussion, two hours. Introduction to important
concepts and issues in the field for non-life sciences majors. Topics
include chemistry of life, genetics, physiology, evolution, and ecology
— all explored in lecture and debates, with a writing component. P/NP
or letter grading.

List of Topics

The nature of science

Science and its relation to human activity

Darwin story Basic Evolution

Patterns of Evolution

Coevolution and symbiosis

DNA replication and inheritance

Genetic Engineering

Sexual reproduction and Genetic Diseases

Patterns of sexual reproduction

Evolutionary basis of Behavior

Sociobiology

Human Evolution and behavior

Principles of Ecology

Biodiversity

Global warming, materials cycles & climatic patterns

Biogeography & Introduced species

Water resources

Environmental Legislation and Action

Environmental Success Stories and Failures

Links

LS 20

Course Description

LS 20: Quantitative Concepts for Life Sciences (4)

Quantitative skills are essential for success in the life sciences, chemistry, mathematics and physics classes that make up the core curriculum for Life Science majors at UCLA. The LS 20 is a unique interdisciplinary course designed to introduce a variety of quantitative/mathematical concepts and modeling using inquiry-based active learning styles. Mathematical concepts focus on precalculus algebra and introductory statistics required for quantification, analyses, interpretation and modeling of biological data. In addition to learning the approaches and application of mathematical modeling of biological data, students acquire skillsets in computer-based computations and visualization of data using available tools such as Microsoft Excel and Apps on mobile electronic devices. Students are further introduced to computer programming (MIT Scratch) and digital imaging and image processing through hands-on projects to gain an appreciation for the use of technology in scientific investigation. An emphasis will also be placed on learning study skills and time management behaviors to improve student success. (This course prepares students for more advanced Calculus courses LS 30A and LS 30B and also provides them the necessary foundation in quantitative biology to perform well in other courses of the life sciences curriculum)

Lecture, 3 hours.
Discussion/laboratory, 1 hour
Preparation : three years of high school mathematics (up to Algebra II), some basic
familiarity with computers.

Textbook

Activities and notes prepared specifically for this course. These will be made available on the course website.

Major topics, by Week

1. Introduction to biological data and measurements: understanding the
importance of quantification and scientific representation of data in biology.

LS 23L

Course Description

One hour online lecture; three hours laboratory each week. Enforced requisites: Course 2, and Chemistry 14C or 30A. LS23L offers the opportunity to conduct wet-lab and cutting edge bioinformatics laboratory experiments. Undergraduate students will work in groups of three conducting experiments in the areas of physiology, metabolism, cell biology, molecular biology, genotyping and bioinformatics. Letter grading. This course is taken concurrently with the life sciences course “Introduction to Molecular Biology” (LS3).

List of Topics

Introduction to Scientific Methodology

This introductory lab will help you develop the concepts and skills you need to perform scientific investigations, carry out experiments
appropriately, and write reports. You will apply what you learn from this lab to the Pigments of Photosynthesis and
Metabolism labs later in the course.

The Pigments of Photosynthesis

Working with several taxa of photosynthetic organisms, you will explore the physical nature of the pigments that allow the organisms
to trap light energy and convert it into chemical energy. You will utilize thin layer chromatography and spectrophotometry to
examine the pigment composition of these photosynthetic pigments and relate your results to environmental and evolutionary
factors that influence pigment composition in these organisms.

Metabolism in Goldfish

You will use electronic data acquisition tools to explore respiration in animals. Computerized tutorials will guide you in the use of
probeware, oxygen electrodes, and oxygen chambers as you formulate your own predictions about metabolic rates in goldfish
and develop experimental strategies by which to test them.

Rat Dissection

During this lab you will dissect a rat, focusing on the relationship between structure and function in approximately a dozen
major organ systems. In addition to providing detailed guidance with the dissection procedures, computer enhancements will
facilitate comparisons to other mammals.

Microscopy and Histology

This is an introduction to the dissecting and compound microscopes, incorporated into a laboratory investigation of histology.
While becoming familiar with the use of these tools and with the aid of information describing the function of various tissues
and cells, you will relate structure to function as you attempt to deduce the identities of a variety of unknown mammalian
cell and tissue samples. This exercise will enhance your understanding of cell, tissue, and organ systems explored in the rat
dissection lab.

Pipetter Exercise and Analysis of Protein Size Using SDS-PAGE

In this lab you are going to get to know the most commonly used instrument in molecular biology. You will get to learn the proper
ways of operating pipetters during the pipetting exercise. You will then continue on to the SDS-PAGE experiment. One of the
basic ways to understand a protein is to know its mass. There are a few methods to learn the mass of a protein. In this exercise
you will use gel electrophoresis to estimate the mass of the subunits of an unknown protein. In conjunction with information
gathered from other methods, you will also determine the number of subunits of the unknown protein.

Biochemical Assay of b-Galactosidase Activity

b-galactosidase is an enzyme that breaks down lactose into two monosaccharides. You will learn to measure the activity of the
enzyme by measuring the rate at which products appear and the time required for this enzyme to be synthesized. You will also
learn the important concept of using a control in an experiment.

DNA Isolation and Amplification

Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a technique that allows scientists to make many copies of DNA from a small sample. In
this lab, you will isolate DNA from your cheek cells and then prepare the sample for PCR. The samples will be amplified and
sent out for sequencing for use in lab 5. Good primer design is a vital part of developing a PCR protocol, so you will be asked
to practice creating your own primer pair in the primer design exercise.

Agarose Gel Electrophoresis and Molecular Clocks

In this lab you will receive a portion of your amplified DNA sample from lab 3. You will check for PCR product in two ways: by
visualizing the product on an agarose gel and by checking the concentration using the spectrophotometer. You will also learn
how to use BLAST, ClustalX and Mega4, programs that you will need to be familiar with in order to work with your individual
sequence in lab 5.

Sequence Analysis and Maternal Lineages

In this lab you will receive your mitochondrial DNA sequence, which was sequenced off site after the PCR amplification. You
will then compare it to many other sequences, which will allow you to determine your maternal lineage, based on human
migration patterns. You will learn how to annotate your sequence, and you will re-visit the programs used in lab 4 to create
phylogenetic trees with your own sequence.

Links

LS 30A

Course Description

LS 30A: Mathematics for Life Scientists (5)

This course teaches mathematical modeling as a tool for
understanding the dynamics of biological systems. We will begin with
the fundamental concepts of single-variable calculus, and then
develop single- and multi-variable differential equation models of
dynamical processes in ecology, physiology and other subjects in
which quantities change with time. The laboratory will use the free
computer program Sage for problem-solving, plotting and dynamical
simulation. The necessary basic programming concepts and skills,
such as program flow control and data structures, will be
introduced. (No prior programming experience is assumed.)

Lecture, 3 hours.
Computational laboratory, 2 hours
Preparation : three years of high school mathematics (up to Algebra II), some basic
familiarity with computers.

Textbook

A set of notes, mostly written specifically for this course. These will be made available on the course website.

Major topics, by Week

1. Introduction to modeling and differential equations. The importance of dynamics in biology.

2. State spaces, vector fields and trajectories. Differential
equations as instructions for constructing vector fields. Behavior
as a trajectory through state space. Attractors and forms of
behavior.

3-4 The derivative. Algebraic and geometric interpretations.
Simple rules for differentiation. The shapes of functions. Maxima,
minima and inflection points. Optimization as an application of the
derivative.

4-5 Integration; linear approximation and Euler’s method. How
trajectories arise from vector fields. Numerical integration.
Recovering f from f′: integration as the area under f′.

LS 30B

Course Description

LS 30B: Mathematics for Life Scientists (5)

LS30B will continue the dynamics focus of LS30A, while
introducing the concept of matrices and linear transformations.
The goals are to equip the student with some basic tools for
understand the dynamics of multi-variable, non-linear systems.
Examples will come from ecological, physiological, chemical and
other systems.

LS 110

Course Description

LS 110. Career Exploration in Life Sciences

Seminar, two hours. Recommended for sophomore and incoming transfer students. Designed to help life sciences students expand awareness of their interests, needs, and skills to make deliberate career choices. Introduction to many components that go into making effective career decisions to help students explore diversity of career options for life sciences majors. P/NP grading.

LS 192A & LS 192B

Course Description

LS 192A: Undergraduate Practicum in Life Sciences (4)

Seminar, two hours. Requisite: course 2 or 3. Limited to
sophomores/juniors/seniors. Training and supervised practicum in
laboratory setting for advanced undergraduate students in courses
related to life sciences. Students work on oral presentation skills and
assist in preparation and presentation of materials and development of
programs under guidance of faculty members. May be repeated once for
credit. Letter grading.

LS 192B: Undergraduate Practicum in Life Sciences (4)

Seminar, two hours. Requisite: course 2 or 3. Limited to
sophomores/juniors/seniors. Training and supervised practicum
for advanced undergraduate students in courses related to life
sciences. Students work on oral presentation skills and assist
in preparation and presentation of materials and development of
programs under guidance of faculty members. Letter grading.